Guest Blogger at IRMC Book!

Today's the day! I'm guest blogging over at IRMC Books.

Please stop by and check out how the Men of Rhodes series was born for Beautiful Trouble Publishing!

www.irmcbooks.com

Reviews and News

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I have been working away on a few project that will be released soon.
But, I wanted to pop in and say 'hello'

Also, check out reviews of two of my books by the talented Nevea Lane here:

http://nevealane.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/how-do-you-talk-to-an-angel-a-book-review-of-hells-angels-by-r-w-shannon/

and
http://nevealane.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/so-amusing-midnight-muse-by-r-w-shannon-a-review/

Also, pick up her book Ronni's Romanian at Beautiful Trouble Publishing:
https://beautifultroublepublishing.com/xcart/Ronnis-Romanian-EBOOK.html

News and Upcoming Releases

I wanted to take a moment to update you on my upcoming releases and news.

First, I’d like to thank Janet for her review of Hell’s Angels. Check it out here:

http://janeteckford.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-mania.html?zx=acfd5fc5bbca6b90
Second, I’d like to tell you about two of my upcoming releases.

The first is Midnight Muse from Beautiful Trouble Publishing. This is a contemporary set on the isle of Rhodes in Greece. Grace Bowers goes to Greece on a working vacation. Her goals are simple: to complete her romance novel and to mend her broken heart. When she rents a cottage from Evander Vicenti’s family, Grace doesn’t count on meeting Evander himself—or on finding him so handsome and sexy.

Evander has been pressured by his family to find a wife. However, he’s not ready to settle down. His mind changes when he meets Grace. In an instant, he knew that Grace was the one, but she wasn’t so convinced. After the pair quickly becomes close, Grace must decide if her heart can take another long-distance relationship—or if she can leave Evander behind for good.

From Cobblestone Press, In From the Cold is a holiday themed, paranormal short for CP’s upcoming Blue line. During a solo session, London conjures up her dream partner, an incubus named Daemyon. The one night they share isn’t enough for either of them. But, in order to make Daemyon real, London must fall in love with him. Will Daemyon be London’s gift this year?

I will have a few more new releases. Please check out these and my other available eBooks at cobblestone-press.com or beautifultroublepublishing.com.

Sneak Peek! The Reckoning

I just wanted to give you a sneak peek of my upcoming release, The Reckoning.

This is a young adult series that features Red. Red is a demon slayer who is still learning the ropes. This scene is the first meeting between her and her guardian angel, Airic. Enjoy!

The school bell chimed, signaling an end to another boring day. Lysette Gibson, or Red, stood from the desk and yawned loudly. However, no one else in the civics class moved. The other students averted their eyes as Sister Bernice glared at Red from the front of the class room.  Red wasn’t about to sit back down. If she did, she would fall asleep. She was already supposed to serve detention for that offense in biology class. 

                Sister Bernice was a tall, lanky nun who looked a lot younger than she was. Her long brunette hair was pulled back into a bun. Crisp white blouse was buttoned to her neck and tucked, neatly into a black skirt. Sensible black flats adorned her feet. Underneath all of that harshness, she was a hottie, Red thought as she stared at Sister Bernice. Too bad it was wasted on nothing.

                Noise from the other students in the all girl’s Catholic school floated in from the hallway. The muffled chatter only fueled Red desire to get the heck out of there. She at least wanted to grab a soda from the store on the corner before she served her detention with Sister Anne.

                “Remember class,” Sister Bernice said. Her dark brown eyes never left Red’s hazel gaze. “I dismiss you. Not the bell.”

                Cassie, a petite blonde who sat on Red’s left, leaned across the aisle and whispered, “If you don’t sit your ass down, she going to make us all stay extra minutes.”

                Rolling her eyes, Red sank with a loud huff into her wooden desk chair.  Sister Bernice was her least favorite teacher at Saint Jerome’s academy for Girls. Of course, Red had the teacher for three of her six classes. Red scrunched down in her seat. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited. One more year to go, she reminded herself.

                “Don’t forget to read chapters seven and twelve. There will be a quiz.” The sister paused for effect. In her mind, Red let out a scream that would wake the dead.  “Lysette, I need to see you. The rest of you are dismissed.”

                Chairs scrapped against the white linoleum as her classmates cleared the room.  She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.  The sound of footsteps rattled her nerves. Sister Bernice’s light floral scent washed over her. The sister’s shadow fell across Red’s face. Still, Red didn’t open her eyes.

                “Is everything okay?” Sister Bernice asked.

                “Yep,” Red said.

                “Why are you sleeping in my class?”       

                Red smirked. “I’m always sleeping in your class.”

                Sister Bernice sighed. “Red. I understand you have a difficult life, but that’s no reason to stop caring about your education.”

                Red’s eyes flew open.  She stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. This woman knew nothing about Red’s home life. If she did, she’d know Red’s stepfather was a cop . Her mother was a psychic that read people at Union Station. Yeah, her grandmother was on drugs, but whose wasn’t?  She’d also know that the reason Red was so tired was because she was up until one am trying to track down a werewolf that was terrorizing her neighborhood.         

                However, Red suspected that Sister Bernice made that statement based on the simple fact that Red was black and assumed she lived in a drug infested neighborhood. Her block wasn’t that bad. It was rough around the edges, but she loved her little piece of the world. It was home.

                “It’s cool,” Red stated, though she clenched her jaw tightly. “I have detention.”

                Concern flashed in Sister Bernice’s eyes. She moved toward Red and rested her hand on Red’s shoulders. Red was about three inches taller than Sister Bernice. “If you need to talk, I’m available.”

                Shrugging off Sister Bernice’s touch, Red left the room. There was no time for her to get a snack. Instead, she sprinted up the three flights of stairs to Sister Anne’s classroom. Red scrunched up her nose when she entered. The room always smelled like potatoes. It was located over the cafeteria.  Sister Anne hadn’t arrived yet.  Yawning, Red took her normal seat in the back row. Fishing around in her backpack, she pulled out her smart phone, shoved the buds in her ears and then laid her head down on the desk.

The quiet classroom was the perfect place for a nap. Beyonce sung her latest song n Red’s ear. Everyone in the neighborhood thought Red looked like Beyonce. She got that compliment all the time. Whatever, Red smirked.  Beyonce wished she looked like her. Sure, they had the same long honey blond hair and brown eyes, but the entertainer probably didn’t have to fight demons before she took the stage. Sometimes, Red wished, she didn’t either.

After all, Red didn’t choose to be a slayer. This job was something than an angel prophesied while Red was still baking in her mother’s womb. That angel was her real father.  She drifted off to sleep, trying to imagine the man that she had never met.   In her mind, she opened her eyes and found herself in a supermarket. A green and pink handheld basket was in her hands. She squinted in the florescent lights at the bare shelves. What was she looking for?  Obviously, they didn’t have it. She passed a mirror. Stopped. Backed up. Now, she was wearing a body hugging red catsuit instead of her uniform. It was sick! Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she continued on.

Red rounded the corner to walk down the next aisle. And there he was. The man that had been haunting her dreams for as long as she could remember. He was at least six foot tall with shoulder length brown hair.  As she drew closer to him, she noticed that his eyes were green. His pale skin held a golden tint to it. On his body, he wore a teal sweatshirt over a white t-shirt and jeans. Black skater shoes adorned his feet.  He stood as rigid as a statue and didn’t even blink when she stopped in front of him. Who was he?

Airic. He answered in her mind. She frowned.  

“You can read minds?” She asked him. “Why are you always in my dreams?”

Airic tilted his head to look at her. Red took a startled step back. Her lips trembled when he stepped down off the platform shelf.

“I’m your guardian angel,” he said.

“What?”

“Every slayer had one. I’m yours.”

Red looked him up and down. “Where are your wings? Don’t angels have them?”

In a flash, Airic pulled his hoodie and shirt over his head and unfurled his wings from his shoulder blades.  Red’s breath caught in her throat. The sight of his bare muscular chest and white wings together was more than she could handle. She looked away. Only to look back. How far into Hell’s pit will they put her for lusting after an angel?

“Damn,” she muttered.  “Is that why you’re always in my dreams?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Airic tilted his head to study her.  “Fighting demons is a hard job. You need someone to have your back at all times.”

Red shook her head. “There’s a lot about this life I don’t know.”

“You’ll learn. I’ll help you when I can.”   

She looked at him. “Explain it to me. “

“I will. But, first you need to do something for me.”

“What?”

When he took a step toward her, the heat from his body washed over hers. Red sucked in a breath. Airic cupped her cheek.  Was he going to kiss her? It was cool if he didn’t. She wasn’t above making the first move. He leaned down. His gorgeous face was only inches from hers. Her heart stopped breathing when he parted his full lips.

“Wake up,” He whispered.

Red woke up with a start.  Sister Anne hovered over her. The short, stout woman narrowed her eyes at Red. Groggy, Red sat back in her chair. She pulled the buds from her ears to hear the word Sister Anne’s mouth was forming.

“…it’s study hall not nap time, Ms. Gibson. For that, I’m keeping you  an extra fifteen minutes. Please start your duties. You know the drill.”

When Sister Anne turned to walk away, Red stuck out her tongue.  Whatever, she had her own personal guardian angel.  A fine one, at that. She climbed to her feet. Her leg wobbled as she straightened the desk rows into neat line. Airic flashed in her mind. Was he with her now? With a new resolve, Red hurried to clean the chalkboard.  She and Airic needed to talk.

New Release! Hell's Angels from Beautiful Trouble Publishing

I have a new release out this week. Hell's Angel's from Beautiful Trouble Publishing.

Title:   Hells Angels
Author:    RW Shannon
Description: IR (BW/WM), paranormal  
Download:  Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket PDA (with DRM for Kindle) 
Price: $4.00     
Length: 15,563 words Appetizers   
Heat Level:   Hotness
Release Date:   24 October 2011
**blurb**
Once upon a time lived three triplets in Hades. Elise, Tish and Meg Erin were loyal fighting machines for their brother Cronos. The demon daughters of Aphrodite were content with the way things were, until Elise’s chance meeting with an angel turns their world upside down.

Angels and demons are forbidden to consort, but that doesn’t stop Michael from trying to find a way to see the demon that stole his heart, Elise Erin. His fellow angels, Raphael and Gabriel, also find themselves smitten by the demons. But when the rulers in both Heaven and Hell learn of their clandestine meeting, all hell literally breaks loose.

Can love triumph over evil?


**excerpt**
The flames of Hades crackled around Cronos as he glared at his father, Uranus. Uranus, the ruler of the Underworld, sat on his throne with such smugness that Cronos’ blood boiled.  Unfit? His father dared to say that he was unfit to rule Hades!  Cronos snarled. It was apparent his father wasn’t about to abdicate the throne to Cronos; therefore, he would just have to take it from him. The old man had been standing in his way for far too long, and it was time for him to die. Tonight.
             Roaring, Cronos charged at Uranus with his sword drawn. He toppled his father from the marble throne and stabbed him through his heart. The god had a way of coming back to life, and Cronos had to make sure that didn’t happen. Beheading the old man wasn’t an option, as Uranus could regenerate and come back to life, but perhaps castration would take care of him, since the life force of the god was in his penis and not his head.
            Cronos knelt beside his father’s body and severed his penis. Blood squirted from the wound into the air. When Cronos turned to toss the organ into the river of Hades, he noticed Aphrodite standing near. A look of horror spread across her face while Uranus’ blood dripped down her bare abdomen and settled between her thighs. The goddess hadn’t been there when Cronos began his murderous overthrow of his father. Where did she come from? he wondered.  However, he wasn’t rattled by her appearance. He’d kill the beautiful goddess, too, if need be.
            Still, Cronos couldn’t take his eyes off Aphrodite. He appraised the shimmering caramel skin of her nude body as the expression on her face turned from surprise to anger. Even in this state, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
            “You bastard,” she screeched at him.
            Cronos gripped her arms. “You won’t speak of this.”
            Aphrodite jerked from his grasp. “I don’t give a shit that you killed that asshole. You just got me pregnant, you idiot!”
            Startled, Cronos took a half step back. “What? How? It’s just blood…”
             “It’s not just blood. It contains all we need to live, including the means to procreate.”
            Cronos opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking. He failed to see why this was his problem and why she was so worked up over it. Plus, he couldn’t know for sure whether Uranus’ blood had crept into her cavity and mixed with her own. Aphrodite moaned as the area around her abdomen began to stretch and round over the fetus within her.
            “Now, do you understand?” she said.
            He crossed his arms over his chest. “Whatever. It’s still not my problem. You’re a goddess. Get some sap to raise it.”
            Aphrodite’s eyes darkened as she gazed at him. Cronos swallowed but refused to be rattled by her wrath. He was king of Hades, and nothing would destroy the joy of this moment. Not even an accidental pregnancy. Before he could react, the goddess slapped him before turning on her heels and storming away.
***
            Months later, Aphrodite returned to Hades with three small girls in tow. Cronos regarded the girls with curiosity and disdain. The triplets looked frightened as the goddess nudged them toward him. They appeared to be about five years old with expressive brown eyes, dark chocolate skin, and black pigtails. Aphrodite introduced them as Elise, Meg and Tish Erin. He was confused as to why she’d brought them to him. Just a visit, perhaps—they were his sisters, after all.
            “Here,” the goddess said. “They’re yours now.”
            At once, Cronos rose from his throne, almost knocking it over in his haste. “What are you talking about?”
            “I had them. You raise them.”
            Cronos crossed his arms over his massive chest as he balked at Aphrodite’s statement.
            “What!”
            Aphrodite smirked. “I believe your words were, ‘you’re a goddess. Get some sap to raise them.’ You, my dear, are the sap.”
            When she shoved the girls in his direction, Cronos stepped to the side before they could touch him. She was mad if she assumed he would resume responsibility for the children. He looked at their sad faces, then at the goddess.
            “Hades is no place for a child,” he said, stalling for time and words. “Besides, what am I to do with them?”
            “You created them. You figure it out.”
            The goddess disappeared without further comment. Cronos looked at the triplets. He rubbed his chin as he pondered what to do with them.  In their distress, the girls transformed into a four-foot tall, three-headed dragon. The creature had black scaly skin and a long, spike-covered tail, and when it exhaled fire from one of its large mouths that contained razor-sharp teeth, the force knocked Cronos on his ass. Frowning, he instantly went on guard, as if sensing a trap. But why would Aphrodite go to such lengths?
            “We’re sorry,” the dragon said. “We can’t control it yet.”
            “Where did you learn that?” Cronos asked as he climbed to his feet.
            “Mother gave us powers.”
            He stiffened. “What kind of powers?”
            “We can do this or…”
            The dragon transformed into three smaller animals: a scorpion, a black widow spider and a snake. The scorpion introduced herself as Elise, the spider as Meg and the snake as Tish. Awed, Cronos watched the animals turn back into three frightened little girls.  A light bulb went off in his head. What if, he thought as he paced before them, he trained the girls to be his most feared warriors? Delighted with the idea, he chuckled as he summoned his servants to build the girls a place to sleep.
            “Don’t worry,” Cronos said as he gathered the three sisters around him to begin their training. “I won’t hurt you.”
            An impenetrable palace made of fire was created for the girls to live in while Cronos trained them to become fighting machines. Over time, he began to love the girls like his own, but he was paranoid that they would one day overthrow him and take the throne as he had done to his father. And so he put in place a series of measures to control the girls, who obeyed him—for now. Soon, however, this loyalty would be tested in a way he hadn’t foreseen.


BUY it here! https://beautifultroublepublishing.com/xcart/Hells-Angels-EBOOK.html

Circles

Since my last blog, I hadn’t let JB go completely. I decided to not do anything, but sit back and watch him. I had also prayed about it. I asked that if I’m supposed to let JB go, make him go away. He didn’t leave. Instead, I got daily messages from JB. Can a leopard really change his spots? Perhaps…

The thing about dealing with JB is I never know which side of him I’m going to get from one day to the next. One minute, he’s caring and sensitive. The next, he’s a complete idiot. So, I got messages ranging from him asking me to borrow money to a simple hello to if I can send him some topless pics of me. (sigh).

Last night, I asked what his life plan was. Where he wanted to be in ten years. He said he didn’t know and that’s why he needed a woman like me in his life to bring him structure. I told him. I can’t do that for him, that he needed to find that within himself first. He said he was happy but that he needed to find someone like me who will stand by him when he does “dumb shit.”

I was almost flattered (almost). Until I processed his words. He said “someone like me” and “a woman like me.” He didn’t say me. Having been a ‘tester’ for so many men over the years, I know that’s not what I want to be. For once, I don’t want to meet someone who is looking for someone like me, but is looking for me. The question is: how do I get that to happen?

JB asked me if I’ve given up on him. I told him that we can be friends, but I can’t be with him because I don’t want to keep going in circles like this. This, I told him, is also part of his pattern. That he straightens up for awhile, until he gets bored or until someone shiny walks by and he’s gone. And when he realizes it’s not as rosy over there, he comes back and expects me to be there for him. I told him that I can’t do that anymore. He said that he understands how I feel because he does do that but he’s a good person.

That’s where the conversation ended. A few years ago, I was in a two year relationship with a guy I’ll call HP. JB reminds me a lot of HP. HP was kinds but broke all the time. He had a house but it was one gust of wind away from falling over. I meet him on the bus and he was so not what I was looking for, but decided to give him a try.

He called me the best girlfriend he ever had, but in the two years we were together, but I could say the same about him. HP never once allowed me to meet his family. I was ushered out the door if his mother was coming over that day. Once, he got mad at me because he got lost trying to find my new apartment. (Of course, him getting lost while walking was my fault). After we had been dating for one year, I sprained my ankle while on my way to work. I ran into him on the bus when I was on my way to the ER. Did he get off the bus to help me? No.

The final straw (I know I should have kicked him to the curb then, but…) was when he suggested that I take lessons at a firing range because some people were after him. Now, as a country girl, I already know how to shoot guns but he kept insisting, so I told him that I was done and out. Of course, he couldn’t understand why I was leaving him.

The thing is, I’m not looking for these guys. I happy focusing on myself, taking myself to IHOP for breakfast or Red Robin for lunch and one pops up. Is there some type of repellent that I can get? Or, how do I get off this ride so that Mr. right can get to me and I don’t have to go stand by the Naval Yard like I plan to do if things don’t change soon?
　

When To Let Go...

On my last blog, I revealed how I get my messages from the universe through songs. The songs on replay this week were “How to love” by Lil Wayne and “Holding on” by Wild Orchid (Fergie’s old group).  An odd combination (or maybe not). I didn’t know what the message was about or referring to until yesterday.

Previously, I mentioned that I was talking to an old friend who I’ll call JB. We’ve been on and off again for a long time and now we are back off again. How can an innocent ‘hello’ text from someone blow up into a World War III type crisis? Here’s how:

For the past three days, I’ve been talking to JB, trying to maintain a civil friendship.  And we were cordial.  First let me say that JB is a good guy, or he tries to be. At times, he can be caring and attentive but there is a side of him that always needs to be in control and in the two years we’ve been talking, I have never seen that side, until yesterday.

So, when I got busy and didn’t have time to stop and say ‘hello’ to him, he became upset.  I told him I was busy. Fine.  He asked me if I wanted to go away with him one weekend. I said we could hang out but we weren’t going to have sex during the trip. He blew up and accused me of ‘agreeing’ to his terms previously (his terms were that if I liked him, I’d have sex with him whenever he wanted). To this, I told him that I wasn’t ready for that and if he didn’t like it, the door was on the left

(Let me say that I have already had sex with him, but when I realized that I wanted more, if not from him than someone who was worthy, I put an end to it.  At the time, we both made it clear that we weren’t together, but when I approached him on the subject of being exclusive, he said that he wanted to keep his options open. This is when I put an end to it and stopped talking to him.)

After I told him no during yesterday’s conversation, he showed the side of himself that I’d always suspected was there, but hadn’t seen. He said that if I liked him (like not love him) then there should be no boundaries between us. That he was in control. What he said goes and he was the boss. To his I told him that I don’t like to be controlled and he needed to leave me alone.  He said he wasn’t controlling me but that I needed to be guided. (Huh?) To which I said that I was done. That if he was going to act like this when we were just friend that there was no hope and I was out. He said he didn’t want to lose me, that I was the only woman he trusted and that he didn’t know how to love. He said that he’ll change and apologized for his behavior.

Now, if I had done this to him, he would’ve dropped me faster than I could count, yet, for two years, I’ve allowed him to come in and out of my live to prove (not to me but to him) that he was worthy of love.  As I said once, sometimes lessons are repeated until you get it. Do I give him another chance or is it finally (beyond) time to let go? (of course as I type this, he just sent me a ‘hello’ text. Sigh.)

 Last week, I had a dream about JB. In it, we were on a hill top. The sky was dark and people were rushing around us, preparing for an upcoming disaster. During the chaos, he left and didn’t come back (though he said he would).  A few nights later, I dreamt that the sky was bright and I couldn’t wait to be alone with my dream guy. My dream guy wasn’t JB.

 Perhaps, I’ve been looking for a reason to stay with JB instead of looking for an exit.  So now, a new song is playing in my head : “Should I stay or should I go” by the Clash.